Welded rail bond



Dec 31, 1940- J. F. SCHNEIDER 2,227,369

WELDED RAIL BOND Filed Sept. 22, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 L' IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/IIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIWI I l 44 4g I 45 JOHANN FRIEDRICH SCHNEIDER MII@ Patented Dec. 31, 1940 UNITED STATES WELDED RAIL vBOND Johann Friedrich Schneider, Berlin, Germany Application September 22, 1938, Serial No. 231,222 In Germany May Z0, 1937 2 oiaims.- (c1. 2384-164) This invention relates to welded bonds and welded splice bars for railway rails and the like.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a welded bond and splice bar which is very reliable and mechanically strong.

A particular object of the present invention is to provide a welded splice bar in such a Inanner that the welded seams between said splice bar and the rail ends are stressed substantially by shearing strains only while tensile strains are avoided.

Another special object of this invention is to provide a splice bar arrangement by which the stem of the rail is reinforced and stiffened 4with respect to the foot portion of the rail.

Another object oi this invention is to facilitate the lwelding of the rails and the application of splice bars` for the rail joints.

Still another object is to save material in th construction .of the rail joint.

Still a further object is to provide a type of splice b-ar arrangement which is suitable for a wide range of different dimensions of rails or for rails having a large tolerance as to their dimensions.

Still a. further object of the invention is to protect the rail bond and splice bar arrangement against destruction by criminal persons or 3o illegal organisations intending to destroy the respective railway line.

With these and other objects in view, as may become apparent from the following disclosures, the invention consists not only of the structures herein pointed out and illustrated by the drawings but includes further structures as hereinafter may be claimed.

The character of the invention, however, may be best understood by reference to certain of its structural forms, as illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view on the line I-I of Fig. 2 of a rail joint having the invention applied thereto, with a straight, obliquely arranged, lateral splice bar portion.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, viewed from the left hand side, of the rail joint shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view on line III--III in Fig. 4, showing a construction similar to Fig. 50 1, but with the hollow spaces between lateral plate and rail stem closed by extensions oi the plate.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the rail joint shown in Fig. 3. 55 Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but with additional perforated lugs at the ends of the extensions, for additional attachment by bolts or rivets.

Similar reference numerals denote similar parts throughout the different views and gures. 5

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, and lirst to Figs.` 1 and 2, there is shown a rail joint which may be welded in usual manner with a straight upper plate 46 provided across the foot 3 and stem 2 of the rail and se- 10 cured to the foot adjacent to its edge by a weld 49 and to the stern by a weld 48. The base plate is wider than the foot of the rail and secured thereto by welds 45.

Where the lateral plates are not integral but formed separate from the base plate, the base` plate may extend beyond the longitudinal ends of the lateral plate, as shown in Fig. 2, and where two separate lateral plates are provided; they may be staggered, yor made of diierent lengths, so as to prevent all the welds from beginning at the same region which would reduce the strength of the material to a certain extent.

It will be understood that the plate 46 in Fig. 1 forms a static triangle with the foot and stem portions of the rail, the welds 4B and 49 being subjected only to shearing strains.

It is not necessary in this case to weld the stems 2 and feet 3 of the rails together. Thus, apart from the weld between the heads of the rails, the welded rail bond will have only longitudinal welds 45, 48, 49. My special splice bars comprising the base plate 44 and the crosswise side plate or plates 4B prevent dangerous stresses and deformations. My novel construction is therefore also very useful in connection with grooved or channel rails of the type shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now to Figs. 3, 4 and 5, there is shown a rail bond similar to Figs. 1 and 2, with 40 welds 55 and 59 corresponding to the welds 45 and 49 in Figs. 1 and 2, but in addition bent eX- tensions 50 are provided at the ends of the plates 46 whereby the space between the plates 46 and the rail ends proper is closed. Thus, any abuse of the space for the purpose oi introducing eX- plosion cartridges, crow bars or the like by criminal persons or the like is prevented.

Moreover, the extensions 50 may be formed 50 with perforated lugs 5l lying flat against the stem 2 of the rail and secured thereto b-y bolts or rivets at 52, wherebythe plate 46 is additionally held to the rail and the said lugs and bolts or rivets share in the stresses occurring and add to the reliability of the construction.

It will be clear that various combinations and modifications of the welded rail bonds hereinbefore described may be made fwithout departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, any of the splice bars may be formed symmetrically with respect to the center plane of the rail to embrace the stein of the rail from both sides. In constructions of the type shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the projection may be provided under the side plate and welded or riveted before the said side plate is applied. Screw bolts or rivets may be provided additionally to secure the base or side plates to the rail and the edges of the side plates may be formed rectangularly or inclined as desired. Autogenous or electric welding may be applied but the latter method is in general preferred. 'Ihe rail portions proper may be welded together in any suitable manner,

Where it is intended to provide a standard splice bar for different types of rails or where large tolerances of the dimensions of the base of the rail have to be taken into account, my novel splice bar may be formed of two portions which are separately applied to the rail, such constructions being shown in all the figures.

It is also contemplated within the purview of my invention to use an integral splice bar cornbined with a separate side plate of the type shown in any of the gures on the opposite side of the rail or two separate symmetrical splice bar portions may be used. In the latter case the foot plate 4 or 44 respectively will be divided, preferably halfway between the edges. The edges thus formed may be welded to the rail additionally and free space may be left between the edges for this purpose and in order to save material.

I am aware that many further changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I, therefore, *do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than is necessitated by the prior art.

I claim:

1. A rail joint comprising adjacent substantially alined rail ends, a base plate extending under the feet of the rail ends and welded thereto by a seam applied in the hollow between the outer edges of the rail ends and basev plate, at lleast one rectangular substantially flat lateral splice plate disposed obliquely with respect to the base plate and welded by longitudinal seams to the rail foot near the outer` edge thereof and to the rail stein near the head of the rail for forming a static triangle together with the rail foot and stem, and bent extensions at the ends of said splice plate for closing the space between said splice plate and the rail.

2. A rail joint comprising adjacent substantially alined rail ends, a base plate extending under the feet of the rail ends'and welded thereto, at least one rectangular substantially flate lateral splice plate disposed obliquely respect to the base plate and welded by longitudinal seams to the rail foot near the outer edge thereof and tol the rail stem near the head of the rail for forming a static triangle together with the rail'foot and stern, bent extensions at the ends of said splice plate for closing the space between said splice plate and the rail, and lugs at said extensions lying flat against the rail and secured thereto.

JOHANN FRIEDRICH SCHNEIDER. 

